DLCon 8: California

[Niu]

Hiya, the Con this year will be hosted by me in Monterey Park, California, which is not too far away from Los Angeles.

The con dates are between 7/11 to 7/14 base on the discussion so far, and will not change unless some emergencies occurs.

My house has 4 TVs and two living rooms. One is connected to the dinning room and another is connect to the small yard in the back. Individual rooms are not big, but the house should be bale to contain 20+ people by spreading the people out.
The last TV is in my bedroom, enter at your own risk.

The yard can also be used for BBQ, so those who can cook, please do. The market is close by, so we can get all the material we need not too far away from the front door.

But I won't be able to keep people over night, so everyone will be lodging in the hotel.

There are three hotels close by. One is the Comfort Inn, $90-$120 a night.
http://www.comfortinn.com/hotel-monterey_park-california-CA692?source=gglocalai1

Another two are Floral Inn and Lincoln Plaza showing in the below link. It does not have on-line reservation, but likely has cheaper price. I can go down there to make arrangement in person once I know how many people are coming.
http://www.hotels.com/search.do?destination=91754&searchParams.arrivalDate=&searchParams.departureDate=&rooms=1&searchParams.rooms

EDIT: Just found out Floral Inn's on line reservation is up https://res.travlynx.com/bbe/page1.aspx?pcode=F7FLOR

And let's continue the discussion on the amusement park here if people are still interested.


Confirmed
1. Niu
2. Dhyerwolf
3. Tala
4. Lady Door
5. Andrew
6. Gatewalker
7. Laggy
8. Alex
9. Tonfa
10. Grefter
11. Archmage
12. Soppy
13. Jo'Ou
14. Cmdr King
15. VSM
16. Djinn
17. Meep
18. Nitori
19. Super
20. Tide
21. Elf
22. MC
23. Luther

Not Coming:
1. Herbie
2. Monkeyfinger
3. Snowfire
4. Ok

[Meeplelard]

Is there absolutely no room for anyone to bunk at your house?  Wondering because if you could bunk like one or two people, that would be good to know for international people.

Doesn't affect me because I'll be grabbing a hotel room, but thought I'd mention that.

[Jo'ou Ranbu]

I'm probably getting dibs on Dhyer's housing offer if it stands until then. Otherwise, I'll save some money to split a room with someone (I'd say the AndyDoors, but wouldn't sharing a room with a couple be embarrassing?).

As for travel times, I'm postponing buying tickets until April or so. But since I'm flying to NorCal first, my arrival time will probably be up to my hosts. >_>

[OblivionKnight]

Otherwise, I'll save some money to split a room with someone (I'd say the AndyDoors, but wouldn't sharing a room with a couple be embarrassing?).

"More fun" you mean.  Just join in.  It's a hetereosexual couple, so there's something for EVERYONE there. 

Unless you like midgets.

Or hermaphrodites. 

Or goats.


CONSTRUCTIVE POST:  I will share a hotel room with COOL people.  Will have to check to make sure those dates are good (new resident class starts then). 

[Jo'ou Ranbu]

:catstare:

Never change.

EDIT: Also, for a more constructive posting experience, could I request a mod to keep this topic and the travel topic stickied for the duration? It's pretty convenient for us, even if the Discussion board is quiet.

[Lady Door]

May or may not be bunking in a hotel room. Will depend on a lot of things we simply aren't sure of right now. We'll definitely let you know as soon as we do.

 If we do end up with room to spare, anyone is free to join. If past years are any indication, there's about a 33% chance Andy and I will be in the middle of a huge fight, and who doesn't want to be in the middle of that?

Timing is a-okay with me! Caveat again that there is a slim but nonzero chance I can't make it at all, but Andy would go without me. I'd say we're 90% confirmed right now.

Also: Andy and I wouldn't be able to go unless it happened after the Con (Monday or Tuesday), but is there interest in a trip to a theme park or the like in general? Would be best to find out now because our limiting factor in ALL non-gaming activity is definitely cars, so planning ahead is good.

[Jo'ou Ranbu]

I'm pretty apathetic about going to a theme park myself. I don't regret the Universal trip, but I honestly think I couldn't stomach going to an even bigger, more plastic theme park. I suspect it'd trigger my madness buttons to the limit and then I'd have to go back in a straitjacket. Regardless, there should be enough people interested assuming the prices are only moderately outrageous.

[Lady Door]

Disneyland is $87 for one park, $125 for D-land + California Adventure -- not cheap!

Six Flags: Magic Mountain, more like a "normal" theme park (read: roller coasters), is $40 if you buy in advance online, $65 if you buy at the park. If 15 or more of us commit to going, it's $28.50 a person.

Knott's Berry Farm is more normal than Disneyland, not quite as awesome as Six Flags, and is somewhere between $35 and $60 depending on when you buy it.

--

There's plenty of other stuff of interest in the immediate area, too, from beaches to mountains to shopping to museums to ... well, yeah, it's Los Angeles. Go wild. But plan in advance.

I will say again: WE WILL NEED CARS. If you want to do something, it's going to take a car to get there. I think we will be okay with the cars that we think we're going to have on hand, but you will need a car to get to just about everything of interest. (And a stomach for traffic.)

[Grefter]

I have plans but want to run stuff by Andybro and Ashbro first so probs rabble at Disquiet meeting.

[Dhyerwolf]

Yes, I can definitely house a few people. Please note that it will be a bit far from Monterey Park (nothing extreme, but obviously in terms of driving people would have to be coming over and leaving with me via car those days). My one worry is that I may potentially have to work that Thursday depending on how bad a time crunch it is, but I won't really know until the days leading up to that. Ideal is definitely to avoid that if at all possible.

Universal Studios is like the most plastic of the theme parks, I believe. Well, Disneyland is close. Disneyland is also a synonym for hell to me (unless you love Disney, it's not remotely geared to our age group), not like I would necessarily have the time for it anyways.

[Meeplelard]

Pretty open to the theme park idea myself, and don't really have any dramatic preference towards which we go to.

I'd say "not Universal" because we went there last year, but I don't think that's going to be much of an issue, since it seems most are in agreement about that.  Any of the three are fine.

[Grefter]

Disneyland is also a synonym for hell to me

Gets my vote then.  I am all for awkward simulated joy and uncomfortable self loathing.

[Niu]

BTW, I'd like to keep a count on the cars available.
Right now, me+Dhyer+Lady Door guarantees 3 cars.
Depends on the situation, I can get one spare car.

[OblivionKnight]

Stickied like a bouse.

[DjinnAndTonic]

Some general goals I would like to accomplish at DLC8:

-Theme park with roller coasters day
-A proper sit-down demonstration of Andy's team's prototype game with everyone + discussion
-RPG charades (optional drinking)
-Bowling trip
-Box-style Karaoke (where the group gets a room to ourselves to go crazy in, optional drinking)
-Djinn gets taught how to play Mah Jong
-If all else fails, XS3 cutscene drinking game
-Oh, and the Music Quiz, because one day I will get more than 2 points!

[Jo'ou Ranbu]

Oooh, this reminds me as a pre-con thing: Ashley, Andy, how is the music concert scene in the Bay Area? I'd be happy to attend something indie and interesting (obviously, doesn't have to be a band I know, but cookie points if any happens to hit the area during that week). Heck, maybe even if it's only one of indie and interesting.

(This has been brought by an Aimee Mann gig to be held in San Francisco by the end of February I'm pre-emptively bitter about)

[Meeplelard]

-Bowling trip

Con tradition, it will happen Saturday Evening as always.  Those who argue otherwise will be forced to converse with my brother.

-Djinn gets taught how to play Mah Jong

And give you the keys to ULTIMATE SUPER POWERS!? Like that'll ever happen! Note: No super powers actually exist

-If all else fails, XS3 cutscene drinking game

I'm gonna put MAJOR EMPHASIS on "all" because if we can't come up with at least 5 better ideas to use with our time than this, we've failed at life.

[AndrewRogue]

Oooh, this reminds me as a pre-con thing: Ashley, Andy, how is the music concert scene in the Bay Area? I'd be happy to attend something indie and interesting (obviously, doesn't have to be a band I know, but cookie points if any happens to hit the area during that week). Heck, maybe even if it's only one of indie and interesting.

(This has been brought by an Aimee Mann gig to be held in San Francisco by the end of February I'm pre-emptively bitter about)

Sadly, I know more about the theater scene then the music scene. I can check around, though.

[Jo'ou Ranbu]

Tell me a bit about the theater scene anyway. Can't hurt to add yet another cultural activity to the circuit.

[Lady Door]

Timing is everything. Since you'll be here in July, there should be plenty of stuff to occupy you. The indie music scene in SF is pretty awesome, though Andy and I don't go into it much. It depends a LOT on what you're looking for in particular, but I'm betting you could find it pretty easily.

The theater scene is similar. Andrew and I go to a couple independent theaters around us, most notably CalShakes which does 2-3 Shakespearean plays, a classic, and a new independent play every summer. There are also true indie spaces -- like the one that's run in the basement of a pizza shop -- and the Broadway Tour venues in SF, like the Orpheum. Then there are smatterings of "street" performances that are plays that happen when and wherever people are interested.

This is also going to be true of LA, btw, perhaps even more so. Andy and I just don't know directly about it.

--

DLCON REQUIRES DRINKING.

I am tired of missing out on alcohol shenanigans. I don't care if we go bar hopping or just bring bottles back for drinking games somewhere (actually, I kinda prefer the latter unless we're at a karaoke bar or something), but it needs to happen. I only ever drink socially, and none of my friends here drink, which means I never get to drink. Boo on that!

Other than that, y'all know I'm not much of the "sit around and play games all day" type, so this shouldn't be too surprising:

Some stuff I'm interested in doing while I'm in SoCal:

• The Huntington Library is really near Monterey Park. I've been before, but it's a gorgeous place. Of course, it's a museum (boooooooks <3) and botanical garden, so I don't expect many people will be going with me for that.
• The Getty. Because, museum.
• Beach. Because SoCal beaches are what other beaches wish they could be.
• Possibly go hiking. I hear good things about Eaton Canyon. And Runyon Canyon is always a plus. I like Griffith Park a lot, too.
• A studio tour (WB? Fox?)
• Maybe see something at El Capitan, if anything good is there when we are

Things other people are probably interested in that I couldn't care less about but would be willing to go along with:

• All things "Hollywood" (SO. OVERRATED.) - City Walk (right next to Universal Studios), seeing the sign, Grauman's Chinese Theater (where the stars and hand prints are), Rodeo Drive & Melrose Avenue if someone wants to window shop with the fancy folk, Robertson Drive if you want to play paparazzi for a day, Olvera if you like Mexican stuff

[Meeplelard]

...is this the point where I bring up that perhaps we should make an "Gaming and Activities" topic?  We usually have 3 of those things...

...oh crap, I have to start the Music Quiz topic, don't I?

*insert swearing incessantly here*

[Lady Door]

Eh, I dunno if we need another thread. At least not until we get closer.

Having a separate one for travel is great, because it lets us coordinate arrivals and departures and make sure everyone's taken care of. Activities and games? Meh, what else is this thread we're in right now for?

Probably would be good to do a Music Quiz topic, though.

[Jo'ou Ranbu]

DLCON REQUIRES DRINKING.

AMEN. I'll see if I can bring you girls some Brazilian alcohol.

Some stuff I'm interested in doing while I'm in SoCal:

• The Huntington Library is really near Monterey Park. I've been before, but it's a gorgeous place. Of course, it's a museum (boooooooks <3) and botanical garden, so I don't expect many people will be going with me for that.

• The Getty. Because, museum.

I'm so game for these.

[Grefter]

• The Huntington Library is really near Monterey Park. I've been before, but it's a gorgeous place. Of course, it's a museum (boooooooks <3) and botanical garden, so I don't expect many people will be going with me for that.

Finally site seeing stuff that is up my alley.

[Jo'ou Ranbu]

A corgi, an Australian and a South-American midget walk into a bar library...